Creatine monohydrate (hereinafter "creatine") is a naturally occurring metabolite found in red muscle tissue. It plays an important role in energizing the muscle. Creatine phosphate is used by the body to recycle ADP to ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is stored in the mitochondria of muscle cells and produces energy when converted into ADP. Muscle fatigue begins when the supply of ATP is lowered.
Synthetic or man-made creatine monohydrate is widely available. Persons interested in and engaging in regular weight lifting regimens for the purpose of body building find that shortly after beginning the use of creatine as a nutritional supplement, muscles take on additional mass and definition.
Synthetic creatine monohydrate is sold in powder form. The powder may be blended with juices or other fluids, and then promptly ingested. Prompt ingestion is important, because creatine is not stable in acidic solutions, such as juices. If creatine is retained in acidic solutions for even relatively short periods of time, most or all of the creatine in this solution turns into creatinine. Creatinine does not have the beneficial effects of creatine.
Creatine monohydrate can be used to manufacture various salts. These salts include, for example, citric and maleic salts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,199 (hereinafter "the '199 patent") discloses a form of a creatine salt that appears to be a combination of one mole of creatine monohydrate with one mole of citric acid, i.e., a monocreatine citrate. Particularly, Example 1 of the '199 patent discloses the combination of 0.180 moles of monohydrate citric acid with 0.134 moles of creatine monohydrate. A two-to-one or three-to-one molar ratio of creatine to the citric acid would be necessary for the production of a dicreatine or tricreatine salt. Such salts do not appear to be disclosed in the '199 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,378 (hereinafter the '378 patent) discloses another form of a creatine citrate. In the '378 patent, as in the '199 patent, there is no disclosure of a creatine citrate that includes a two to one or three to one or more molar ratio of creatine monohydrate to the citric acid, i.e., there is no disclosure of a dicreatine or tricreatine citrate.
It would be desirable to provide another form of creatine that is stable, and that can prevent or impede the conversion of creatine to creatinine. It would further be desirable to provide a form of creatine salt that is other than a monocreatine citrate form of the salt.